1. Title: Microaggressions and Trigger Warnings. Oh My!
Speaker: Jeanine Joy
Length: 60 – 90 minutes
Audience Participation: Yes
Outline:
Interpersonal communication can be as difficult to master as catching a greased pig at the
county fair. Our society tends to believe people meant to communicate what we hear them say
and that the speaker or writer knew how we would take their words. The media is full of stories
about Millennials complaining about microaggressions or demanding trigger warnings before
someone talks about sensitive topics.
Complaints about microaggressions about race, religion, gender, and weight become more
common every day.
There are two sides to the issue. One is being sensitive to others’ potential interpretations. The
problem is that we live in a diverse world where something that it is rude not to do in one
culture is considered rude to do by another culture. Education about how to be sensitive only
goes so far. What can we do?
The real damage from microaggressions is the negative emotional state they create in the
person who perceives the aggression. The good news is that individuals can learn practical ways
to reduce the negative impact—something they can control.
Participants will learn:
1. High-level overview of microaggressions
2. Three ways to change their perception so they do not feel disempowered by perceived
microaggressions